Twins Hope New Manager Agrees to Be Paid in Exposure

[RandBalls Stu]

Image courtesy of Melissa Berman/Twins Daily

Multiple names—some familiar, some not—surfaced this week in the Minnesota Twins’ managerial search, including Twins “Piranha” legend Nick Punto. Team President Derek Falvey says the ideal candidate will have a strong focus on fundamentals, baserunning, and other “small ball” traits, meaning this payroll-constricted team will not be spending its way back to contention.

This includes the manager position itself, as multiple front office sources tell Twins Daily that any candidate willing to be “paid in exposure” versus a traditional salary has a leg up on the competition.

“We’re already paying (former Twins manager Rocco) Baldelli not to manage next year,” said one source with knowledge of the hiring process. “That money’s not coming back, and we’re on a tight budget as is. If we can innovate in the cost-of-living space, that’s a plus.”

The Twins are one of eight teams hiring a manager for 2026. Twins Daily was able to confirm that the other seven teams plan to pay their new hire a salary with competitive benefits, including dental.

“Only 30 people in the world get to manage a major league team,” said another front office source. “In a vacuum, you’d pay for the privilege. What if the Los Angeles Dodgers are watching when you pull off a perfect double steal? How valuable is that potential opportunity? They might make you an advance scout in Korea or Saskatchewan, with a per diem and a Murphy bed! It’s priceless.”

Potential obstacles to this plan include convincing adult men with mortgages and families to work without compensation. Team sources say they have a plan for that.

“Our franchise has unfairly been tagged as cheap by smear merchants in the media, but the simple fact remains that sunflower seeds are free to all on-field employees, including the manager,” said the front office source. “That’s 30 grams of protein in a one-cup serving. Plus, there’s a cot in the manager’s office. There’s dinner and there’s room and board. Frankly, I’d describe that as overly generous, but you won’t read that in The Athletic.”

Members of the Pohlad family were unavailable to comment on the team’s managerial search, as mid-October is their annual Fly Like a Bird Gala, in which they catapult their most defiant manservant into a haunted forest.

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[farmerguychris]

You're all laughing now -but how will you feel when the last name of the next manager is Pohlad?

 

[sampleSizeOfOne]

I hope they wait until spring to sign such a manager.

Exposure can be bad during the winter.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

1 hour ago, farmerguychris said:

You're all laughing now -but how will you feel when the last name of the next manager is Pohlad?

 

Something abouut this suggests Pooh Bah...

 

Come over here where owners can't hear us....

[Craig Arko]

Gotta be Mike Redmond, then. IYKYK.

[The Great Hambino]

20 hours ago, farmerguychris said:

You're all laughing now -but how will you feel when the last name of the next manager is Pohlad?

 

None of them would ever subject themselves to being forced to watch that much baseball

[David Maro]

First off Falvey is the one who extended Rocco,so take the money owed from him. The other thing is that at this time there is 27 teams better run than this one. This should be a wake up call to everyone that the organization put themselves here not the fans. 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

16 hours ago, David Maro said:

First off Falvey is the one who extended Rocco,so take the money owed from him. The other thing is that at this time there is 27 teams better run than this one. This should be a wake up call to everyone that the organization put themselves here not the fans. 

27? Very generous.

welcome to Twins fandom, where the tried but true “cheap Pohlad” jokes not just survive, but thrive.

dust off your pocket protector, 70s era graphing calculator with half the labels worn off, and rationing office supplies bit

[sampleSizeOfOne]

On 10/17/2025 at 4:58 PM, Craig Arko said:

Gotta be Mike Redmond, then. IYKYK.

He would work for exposure?